My Three Cousins

Chapter Twenty-Five

Mom's voice startled Helen and she pulled her hand away from Fitz, almost jumping away from him.  In his new, calm state Fitz came to her defense, "we were just talking mom." 

Mom ignored him and kept on her path toward Helen, "you don't touch my kids, you don't come near them ever again."  

Helen cowered as mom got closer and she was nodding, "I'm sorry Aunt Liz, I'm sorry." 

"Mom really it wasn't a big deal," Fitz seemed genuinely confused at this outburst and tried to get himself between Mom and Helen.  

Only when her path to Helen was blocked did mom turn, "Get Vivian and get in the house."

"Why?"  Helen's power must have been stronger than I thought because even in the face of mom's anger he maintained his slightly confused, calm demeanor.

"Don't ask me, why.  Fitzgerald Arthur get your little sister and get into the house.  Start packing."  Her tone finally got to him, and he went to the car and unbuckled Vivian, picking her up so they could make their way to the house more quickly.  She had been asleep in her car seat and missed the fighting, so she let herself be carried inside willingly.

Before Fitz got too far toward the house he turned, "what about Addison?"  I could see now that he was farther from Helen, he was trying to piece things together.

"I think Addison needs to stay here and talk," Mom said turning to look at me with a look of such strong disappointment that I wished she would send me inside.

Fitz disappeared into the house with Vivian and a part of me wished he would get Ruth to smooth this all over.  Once he was safely out of earshot Mom began again, directed at both Joan and Helen, "Do you girls think I'm dumb?  Do you not think I don't know what you inherited from your mother?"

The color drained from both my cousins' faces.

"Helen, I think I made it pretty clear on our shopping trip that I didn't want what you do that around me or my kids, so why did you think it was ok to use your power on my son?"

Helen opened her mouth to speak but couldn't seem to get any words to come out.  "And you," Mom said turning on Joan, "don't think I didn't see you use a power to catch that cup right in front of Addison.  I was going to let all of that go, but this crosses a line.  I wanted to help you because you're my sister's kids.  I might have even helped you not get all mixed up into all this, but you're grown adults and you've made your choice.  We're leaving.  I don't want you to get into contact with a single one of us ever again."

I couldn't believe my mom, who had been so adamant that we come here and help them, was saying all of this.  Seeing that my cousins didn't know what to say my mom turned to face me, "Addison tell me right now what all they've told you." 

I couldn't make a sentence with her eyes on me, but luckily Joan spoke up, "she knows everything."

Mom pivoted for just a second to glare at Joan then she turned back to me, "is that true?"

"Yes," I said quietly, looking at my feet.

"Why didn't you tell me?"  

"I didn't want you to be danger."  I answered honestly.

"I'm the mom Addison, you're the kid.  I protect you not the other way around."  She spoke softer now like she was glad about my answer.  "You won't have to worry about this anymore, I'm sorry I brought you here, we're going to go home, and you can forget this all happened."

I was caught off guard and then I realized she thought I was on her side.  My answer had made her think I was afraid of my cousins not afraid for them.  "I don't want to go home, and I'm never going to forget this," I said trying to find the confidence to stand up to her, "they need me."

"You're not part of this.  I made sure you'd never be part of this." Mom said as she started to understand.

"What do you mean you made sure?"  I asked.

"We're not talking about this, go pack your stuff."  Mom seemed somewhere between angry and heartbroken.

"I'm serious, Mom.  We can't leave them, they're in danger.  I have to help them."

"Any danger they're in is because of their own choice." 

I felt anger start to bubble inside me.  I couldn't believe she wouldn't listen to me and that she would just abandon them, "someone is after them, he is like made of electricity or something, and he's going to hurt them if I'm not here to help."

"You're not magic, you can't help them.  If what you're saying is true, we need to get far away from here before he attacks." 

"She's already helped us," Helen said from behind mom.

"Twice.  She's saved us twice, and we need her."  Joan said.

Before I could really appreciate what they were saying about me, mom turned on them.  "You don't get to use my daughter as your human shield."

"We're not," Helen said, sounding hurt.

Mom was done engaging with them and turned back to me.  "I'm not talking about this Addison, go inside and pack." 

I knew I couldn't let her make me leave so I tried the last thing I could think of, "mom he killed Aunt Maggie."

For a moment the pain on her face looked the same as it did the day Aunt Maggie died.  I almost expected her to start back with that hollow sob.  Her hand instinctively went up to her chest where she wore she a replica of the necklace Aunt Maggie was buried in, and her eyes flooded with tears.  She swung around to look at my cousins for confirmation and the guilt on their faces told her what she needed to know.  When she looked back at me it wasn't with the sympathy or even fear I had hoped for, it was with a look of pure betrayal.  "All the more reason you shouldn't be anywhere near here when he comes back."  Then she put her hand on my back and led me inside.